Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-05-28
THE BRITISH TRAMP STEAMER
An Old Sen Captain Tells What He
Knows About the Crnft.

An Old Sen Captain Tells What He
Knows About the Craft.
s'The majority of 'tramps' are built on
the share plan, : said an old sea captain; 4
s.that Is to say that amy individual or
firm able to get together a sufficient num-
Der of subscribers TO, the necessary CAPT.
tai in from So to $50 shares organizes al
company, securing for the trouble the
sole management of the vessel and hand
ling all the earnings, charging commits
sion to the shareholders for managing the
ship, and in many instances themselves
not owning a single share. They are
satisfied with the commissions, which are
first deducted from the gross freight
earned. Whether the vessel makes
money for the shareholders or not the
agent is always secure. aud tsikes care to
indemnify himself in all cases.
"a registry Of these vessels is published
annually, and a character assigned if paid
for which may or may not truly set forth
the real character or condition of the
vessel That this certificate of good char
acter is not always to be relied upon is
not BY any means the fault of the staff of
surveyors, but can be traced to the ras-
calty of builders who, having taken the
contract perhaps ruinously low, are
tempted to substitute unknown to the IN
spector an inferior quality of metal, light
frames, insufficient or defective riveting,
or poor workmanship throughout. Or,
granted that the builder has faithfully
performed his duty, and that the vessel
has left the yard in practically perfect
condition, it is after she has passed into
the control of the managing owner that
her unseaworthiness surely commences.
"The ship, now ready for business, is
chartered, for example,, to load cargo
of coal, and without any previous knowl-
edge (except the somewhat theoretical
knowledge, perhaps, Of the builder as to,
how the vessel may perform, she is loaded
as deeply as even the greed of the owners
can exact and started ON her voyage. Jack,
who comes ON board only after the ship
is loaded, and sees the dangerous manner
in which she is to be sent to sea, can but
shake his head, for the vessel Ia only down
to the Plimsoll mark, and the board of
trade surveyors will not in that case stop
the ship and compel her to be lightened.
'eThe Plimsoll mark is mark which
is painted ON the side of vessel at her
lowest point OF sheer, and is supposed TO
denote the depth to which she may with
safety be loaded. The distance between
this mark and the deck line measured
on the side of the ship is called the free
board, and by an act of parliament this
freeboard, expressed in feet and inches,
must be entered upon the articles OF
agreement between the owners and crew,
q copy of which must be always hung up
in the forecastle. Now, there is no law
that fixes the rule where this mark shall
be, but it is left to the owner to put it
where he chooses. He may, therefore,
give the ship as little or as much free
board as he sees fit. 1t is needless TO say
that the universal rule is as little as pos
sible.
'.Well, Jack being on board, the ship
proceeds on her voyage, overloaded and
shorthanded in many instances. Bad
weather is encountered; the ship, being
too deeply laden, cannot rise to tho sea,
but wallows along through it, to the peril
OF the deck fittings and the men obliged
to be on the deck. The machinery being
new, there is not much danger of being
disabled unless the gale increases to hur-
ricane force, in which case, if the ship
survives, she is sure TO come out OF the
encounter minus some of her boats,
houses, bridges, etc, and perhaps badly
strained in the hull.
''The vessel having arrived az her des-
tination Is quickly discharged and loaded,
the process being carried on night and
day, and without any thought Of repair
ing damages, except those absolutely
necessary. Should any Of the boats have
been lost they will not be replaced until
she arrives at home port. Should any
of her sails be blown away they will GER
tainly not be replaced, but the yards will
be sent ashore, and the vessel reduced TO
her fore and aft rig only, thus economic
ing in spars, rigging and sails, and de-
priving the sailor of his last chance for
life in case of a nishap to machinery dur
ing heavy gale, or in the event OF the
ships losing her propeller. As the tramp
steamers are now being rapidly reduced
in their sail power IL Is found possible to
man them with two hands less in the
crew, so that vessel Of 5000 tons dead
weight capacity frequently carries only
six men before the mast, and of these IL
/ is safe to say that only two Of the number
are fit to be trusted at the wheel or ON
the lookout.
"As long as vessel and outfit are COM
paratiyely new she may live through
many storm, but when the outfit il
worn out it is replaced, If at all, In the
cheapest possible manner, and as regards
repairs to hull, engines and boilers, they
are only made when there is absolutely
no other way 10 get the vessel to sea, and
what may then happen concerns the
owner to very slight degree. New
York Times. f tuu hthl Nlt